Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting a tech startup, navigating the cloud landscape can be tricky. Cloud platforms offer scalability, security, and a vast array of services. It’s easy to get lost among all the features and price comparisons. Let’s talk about the Google Cloud Platform GCP VS AWS or Amazon Web Services.
But both services offer so many things, and since they have a lot of modular customization options, comparing them isn’t that easy. So before we get into that complex path, let’s understand the basics first.
StorageS3Cloud StorageObject storage for various data types, scalable, and cost-effective for backups and archives.
GlacierCloud Storage ArchiveLong-term, ultra-low-cost storage for rarely accessed data.
EBSCloud Block StorageBlock-level storage for attaching persistent disks to EC2 instances.
EFSCloud File StorageFile storage for EC2 instances accessible by multiple instances concurrently.
DatabasesSimpleDBCloud FirestoreNoSQL schemaless database for mobile and web applications.
DynamoDBCloud SpannerNoSQL database with high performance and scalability for various workloads.
DocumentDBCloud Firestore & Cloud SQL for MySQL/PostgreSQLDocument-oriented database with JSON documents, similar to MongoDB. Offered in both schemaless (Firestore) and schemaful options (Cloud SQL).
RDSCloud SQLRelational database service for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, and Aurora.
AuroraCloud SQL for MySQL/PostgreSQLHigh-performance, scalable relational database compatible with MySQL and PostgreSQL.
NeptuneCloud SpannerGraph database for connected data with high performance and scalability.
ElastiCacheMemorystore for Memcached & RedisIn-memory caching service for accelerating applications.
ComputeEC2Compute EngineVirtual machines (VMs) in the cloud with various configurations and operating systems.
LambdaCloud FunctionsServerless compute service that executes code in response to events.
LightsailSimple and affordable virtual machines for basic websites and applications.
ECS & EKSKubernetes Engine (GKE)Container orchestration services for managing containerized applications.
FargateCloud RunServerless service for running containerized applications without managing servers.
App RunnerApp EngineService for building and deploying web applications with minimal configuration.
Machine LearningSageMakerVertex AIEnd-to-end platform for building, training, and deploying machine learning models.
RekognitionCloud VisionService for analyzing images and videos to extract labels, objects, and scenes.
LexDialogflowService for building chatbots and conversational interfaces.
DeepRacerCloud-based reinforcement learning service to train AI models for simulated racing environments.
AnalyticsRedshiftBigQueryData warehouse service for large-scale data analytics.
Lake FormationCloud Storage & BigQueryService for creating managed data lakes to store raw data for future analysis.
KinesisCloud Pub/SubStreaming data ingestion service for delivering real-time data to applications.
EMRDataprocManaged Hadoop framework for running big data analytics jobs.
MSKCloud Pub/SubManaged Apache Kafka service for real-time streaming data pipelines.
GlueDataflowServerless managed service for building data pipelines to transform and move data.
OthersIAMCloud IAMIdentity and Access Management (IAM) for controlling access to AWS resources.
CognitoCloud IdentityUser authentication service for your web and mobile applications.
SNS & SESCloud Pub/Sub & Cloud MessagingMessaging services for sending notifications and messages to different endpoints.
CloudFormationCloud Deployment ManagerService for managing and provisioning cloud infrastructure through templates.
AmplifySuite of tools and libraries for building web and mobile applications.
Cost ExplorerCloud BillingService for monitoring and managing your cloud service costs.
Cloud ArmorSecurity service that protects your applications from DDoS attacks.
Cloud CDNContent Delivery Network (CDN) for delivering content with high performance and low latency.
Cloud Load BalancingService for distributing traffic across multiple instances of your application.
Cloud Data Loss PreventionService for identifying and preventing sensitive data from being exfiltrated from your organization.
StorageStore all your data, files, and applicationsPay per GB stored$0.090 per GB for S3 standardYou only pay for the amount of data you store, like photos, videos, and documents. Prices vary depending on storage class (e.g., S3 Glacier for long-term archives is cheaper).
ComputeRun virtual machines for your workloadsPay per hour usedVaries based on instance typeYou only pay for the time your virtual machine is running. Prices depend on factors like CPU, memory, and region. Free tier with limited resources available.
LambdaRun code without managing serversPay per execution~$0.00001667 per 100ms of execution timeYou only pay when your code is run, for tasks like image processing or data analysis. Prices depend on execution time and memory used. Free tier with limited invocations available.
Outbound Network TrafficSend data out of AWSPay per GB transferred$0.090 per GB for the first 1 TB/monthYou pay a small fee when you transfer data out of AWS, like sending emails or loading websites. Prices decrease for larger data transfers.
Website HostingHost your website on AWS serversCombination of S3, EC2, or Lightsail + other featuresNo single price – depends on needsAWS doesn’t offer a single website hosting service. You can use a combination of S3 for storage, EC2 for virtual machines, or Lightsail for simple websites. Pricing depends on your specific needs. Free tier with limited resources available for some services.
StorageStore all your data, files, and applicationsPay per GB stored$0.020 per GB for the first 1 TB/monthYou only pay for the amount of data you store, like photos, videos, and documents. Prices decrease for larger storage needs.
ComputeRun virtual machines for your workloadsPay per hour usedVaries based on machine typeYou only pay for the time your virtual machine is running. Prices depend on factors like CPU, memory, and region. Free tier with limited resources available.
Serverless FunctionsRun code without managing serversPay per execution~$0.40 per 1 million invocationsYou only pay when your code is run, for tasks like image editing or data analysis. Prices depend on execution time and memory used. Free tier with limited invocations available.
Outbound Network TrafficSend data out of Google CloudPay per GB transferred$0.04 to $0.12 per GBYou pay a small fee when you transfer data out of Google Cloud, like sending emails or loading websites. Prices vary by region.
Website HostingHost your website on Google’s serversCombination of Storage, Compute, and potentially other featuresNo single price – depends on needsGoogle Cloud doesn’t offer a single website hosting service. You’ll pay for a combination of storage for your website’s files and compute resources needed to run it. Pricing depends on your specific needs. Free tier with limited resources available for some services.
If you want to transfer data to some other platform, they will charge you per GB transfer. And the rate will increase for large-scale data transfers. Furthermore, it’s a complex process because different platforms use different architectures. Data migration services can be a bit handy but not cost-effective.
As you can see, it’s extremely baffling. But the biggest advantage of this baffling pricing system is granular customization.
Cost optimization featreus
Speaking of granular pricing, companies know that customers might end up paying more money. So, both platforms have a solution for that. AWS has
AWS Budgets
and Google Cloud has
Cost Management
. These products are designed to help optimize your expenses on the cloud.
Google Cloud – Cost Management
The work processes for both of these products are kind of similar. You get to set the budget limit on both of these. Before the budget ends, you will be notified. In fact, you can see a forecast for budget expenses on both platforms.
AWS Budgets
Google Cloud also provides several ways and methods to optimize your budgets. Google walks you through the usage and might let you know about the underused instances that you are paying for.
There are also some other options available that you can explore to manage the budget. Third-party tools like
AWS cost optimization solutions
or GCP cost optimization tools give you more granular tuning.
Which cloud platform is best for developers?
There is no easy answer to this question. It may depend on various factors, mostly on the user of the platform.
If you like to choose products from a wider range of services and features with higher flexibility, you can go with AWS. But if you prefer innovative and pioneering new features, along with competitive pricing, the GCP is well known for that.
So, here is a basic comparison between ASW vs Google Cloud for developers.
Compute FeaturesAWS offers a wide range of virtual machines (VMs) and EC2 instances. These instances cater to various use cases, from general-purpose computing to specialized workloads. AWS also provides Elastic Beanstalk for easy application deployment.GCP’s Compute Engine provides customizable VMs with options for custom machine types. It also offers preemptible instances for cost-effective batch processing and fault-tolerant workloads.
Networking FeaturesProvides Amazon VPC for creating isolated network environments. Offers Classic Load Balancer, Application Load Balancer, and Network Load Balancer.Stands out with VPC and VPC Peering for network isolation. Offers Global Load Balancer and Internal Load Balancer. Additionally, GCP’s Network Service Tiers allow you to choose between premium and standard network performance.
Storage FeaturesHas Amazon S3 for object storage, EBS for block storage, and EFS for file storage. Amazon Glacier is suitable for long-term archival.Offers Google Cloud Storage for object storage, with options like Multi-Regional, Regional, and Nearline storage classes. Cloud Filestore provides managed file storage.
Security FeaturesPrioritizes security with IAM (Identity and Access Management) for access control. Offers AWS Organizations for managing multiple accounts.Provides Google Cloud IAM for fine-grained access control. Also offers Service Accounts for programmatic access. GCP’s Resource Manager helps organize projects and enforce policies.
SupportOffers various support plans, including Basic, Developer, Business, and Enterprise tiers.Provides Google Cloud Support with different levels: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Each level offers varying response times and access to support engineers.
Billing and PricingFollows a pay-as-you-go model, with options for Reserved Instances and Spot Instances.Offers per-second billing for VMs and other services. GCP’s committed use contracts provide discounts for sustained usage.
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